Yonago Acta medica 1997;40:91–96
Morphological Changes in Patient Lens Epithelial Cells after Intravitreal Silicone Oil Injection
Shigeru Takagi, Masao Nagata, Yukiko Ametani, Atsushi Yamasaki, Chiemi Itamochi and Akihiko Tamai
Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago 683, Japan
The subject patient (47-year-old male) had received silicone oil injection into the vitreous
cavity of his left eye for the treatment of retinal detachment in 1986. Two months later,
the silicone oil was removed from the vitreous cavity, as the retina was reattached.
Soon after the operation, the lens of the eye gradually became opaque to mature cataract,
and his left visual acuity had fallen to hand motion upon his present admission to the
hospital. The lens epithelium obtained by anterior capsulotomy during the extracapsular
cataract extraction was examined morphologically by transmission electron microscopy.
Inside the anterior lens capsule, abnormal epithelial proliferation was observed. The
epithelial cells changed their shapes from cuboidal to spindle, accompanied by new
basal lamina-like substances around them. The spindle-shaped cells stretched like
pseudopodia. The extracellular matrices were abundant and composed of collagen
fibers. Fragments and dissolved materials of the fibers were also seen in some specimens.
Lipid-like substances and myelin-like structures were often observed in the relatively
well preserved cytoplasm. As a result, it is surmised that cataract formation after
intravitreal silicone oil injection may be associated with fibrous pseudometaplasia of
the lens epithelial cells and phagocytosed silicone oil deposits in the epithelial cells.
Key words: fibrous pseudometaplasia; intravitreal silicone oil injection; lens epithelial cells; phagocytosed silicone oil deposits; transmission electron microscopy
